Linking evolutionary processes and taxonomy in the peatmoss group Sphagnum subg. Cuspidata

泥炭藓（泥炭藓属）覆盖了北半球的大片地区，帮助调节区域排水模式，以及在遥远的北方，调节永久冻土（永久冻土）的范围。在这些以泥炭藓为主的泥炭地生态系统中，泥炭以部分分解的泥炭形式储存大量碳，并为其他植物、动物和微生物的独特组合创造环境。估计有 250-400 种泥炭藓物种，但物种的确切数量及其谱系关系仍有待测试。 该项目的重点是物种界定、估计谱系关系，并为一组泥炭藓制定新的分类学分类：Sphagnum subg。尖齿目。本科生、研究生和博士后研究人员将接受不同领域和实验室技术的培训，并获得在以泥炭藓为主的泥炭地生态系统中工作的实践经验。 一系列研讨会和实地课程将吸引专业和业余博物学家参与该项目，一本新的图画书将向学龄前儿童介绍植物生命的多样性。该项目生成的所有 DNA 序列数据将存放在公共数据库中，其他研究产品将可免费获取。该项目的中心目标是评估泥炭藓（Cuspidata 亚属）的物种界定、系统发育关系、种间混合和种间/种内基因组结构。 Cuspidata 亚属包括大约 20-25 个物种。该项目涵盖广泛的地理尺度，包括邻近种群、区域集合种群和来自不同大陆的植物，并包括三个综合部分。 第一个目标使用 RADSeq 测试欧洲、北美东部、北美西部、亚洲收集的植物的系统发育地理学结构假设，特别是北美东部和欧洲植物是否与北美西部和亚洲植物形成进化枝姐妹。 RADSeq 数据将用于界定系统发育物种，包括估计物种之间的遗传混合和种内地理混合种群系统。 第二个目标是使用全基因组测序来测试有关物种和地理上分离的种群系统之间的基因组差异的假设，以及物种和种群水平进化枝之间共享的基因组区域。主要目标是评估单倍体配子体 19 条染色体上共享和分化的基因组区域的物理结构。比较分析将检验物种在与营养需求和水分关系相关的基因方面存在差异的假设，这是区分泥炭藓亚属成员的两个重要的生态位梯度。尖齿目。泥炭藓丰富的基因组资源促进了比较分析，包括亚g中物种的参考基因组和遗传图谱。尖齿科 (S.fallax)。 第三个也是最后一个目标是整合和综合亚属分类学修订中的数据，包括识别码、描述、命名修订、插图和分布图。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Peatmosses (genus Sphagnum) cover huge areas of the Northern Hemisphere where they help regulate regional patterns of water drainage, and in the far North, the extent of permafrost (permanently frozen ground). Within these Sphagnum-dominated peatland ecosystems, peatmosses store vast amounts of carbon in the form of partially decomposed peat and create environments for unique assemblages of other plants, animals, and microbes. There are an estimated 250-400 peatmoss species although the exact number of species and their genealogical relationships remain to be tested. This project focuses on species delimitation, estimating genealogical relationships, and producing a new taxonomic classification for one group of peatmosses: Sphagnum subg. Cuspidata. Undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral researchers will be trained in diverse field and laboratory techniques and receive hands-on experience working in Sphagnum-dominated peatland ecosystems. A series of workshops and field courses will engage both professional and amateur naturalists in the project, and a new illustrated book will introduce preschool children to the diversity of plant life. All DNA sequence data generated by the project will be deposited in public databases and other research products will be freely accessible.The central aims of this project are to assess species delimitation, phylogenetic relationships, interspecific admixture, and inter- / intra-specific genome structure in Sphagnum, subgenus Cuspidata. Subgenus Cuspidata includes approximately 20-25 species. The project covers a broad range of geographic scales including proximate populations, regional metapopulations, and plants from different continents, and includes three integrated parts. The first aim uses RADSeq to test hypotheses of phylogeographic structure among plants collected in Europe, eastern North America, western North America, Asia, and specifically, whether eastern North American and European plants form a clade sister to plants from western North America and Asia. The RADSeq data will be used to delimit phylogenetic species, including estimates of genetic admixture among species and intraspecific, geographic metapopulation systems. The second aim uses whole genome sequencing to test hypotheses about genomic differentiation among species and geographically disjunct population systems, as well as genomic regions that are shared among species- and population-level clades. A major goal is to assess the physical architecture of shared and differentiated genomic regions across the 19 chromosomes of haploid gametophytes. Comparative analyses will test hypotheses that species differ in genes related to nutrient requirements and water relations, two important niche gradients that differentiate members of Sphagnum subg. Cuspidata. The comparative analyses are facilitated by rich genomic resources available for Sphagnum, including a reference genome and genetic map for a species in subg. Cuspidata (S. fallax). The third and final aim integrates and synthesizes data within a taxonomic revision of the subgenus, including identification keys, descriptions, nomenclatural revisions, illustrations, and distribution maps.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.